A well-known Italian right-wing politician was fined Monday for staging a protest against the wearing of burqas and other Islamic veils for women.
Daniela Santanche, a leading member of the conservative Forza Italia party of former premier Silvio Berlusconi, organized the action in Milan four years ago, outside a building where Muslims were holding end-of-Ramadan prayers.
She was handed a four-day jail sentence and a 100-euro (135-dollar) fine for not warning police about her protest. The punishment was converted into a 1,100-euro fine.
The politician criticized the ruling and said she would appeal.
Courts also slapped a 2,500-euro fine on an Egyptian man who punched Santanche during her protest.
In 2006, when she was given a police escort after being threatened by an imam, Santanche said that “the veil is a symbol of women’s submission.” She also wrote a critical book on the condition of Muslim women.